An investment of 72 billion 93 million rupees (537 million US dollars) has been collected to expand, improve and modernize the transmission and distribution system to make electricity supply reliable and quality within the country and to expand electricity trade with neighboring countries.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) is going to provide 311 million dollars (42 billion 24 million rupees) concessional loan and 30 million dollars (4 billion 7 million rupees) for the expansion and improvement of electricity transmission and distribution system. The European Union will grant 26 million dollars (Rs 3.6 billion) and the Norwegian government will grant 30 million dollars (Rs 4.21 billion).

will receive 10 million dollars (1 billion 35 million rupees) in aid through the Strategic Climate Fund. The government of Nepal will bear the 130 million dollars (17 billion 98 million rupees) required to implement the project.

The projects implemented through ADB's South Asian Subregional Economic Assistance (SASEC) Electricity Transmission and Distribution Strengthening Project will mainly include 290 kilometers of transmission lines, 5 new substations and the upgrading of two substations.

Single-phase meters in Kathmandu Valley's households will be removed and connected to smart meters (second phase), distribution substations will be modernized and automated, computer-based supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) will be connected, national transmission line construction and distribution system will be upgraded in Karnali Province. . For the mobilization of aid, a concessional loan and grant agreement was signed between the government and ADB and Nepal Electricity Authority last Friday. The plans will be implemented by the Nepal Electricity Authority. Kulman Ghising, executive director of

authority, said that by utilizing the resources received from the development partners, mainly the improvement and expansion of the electricity supply system within the country, the construction of necessary infrastructure and the digitization of the distribution system will be done as a backbone to make the regional/sub-regional electricity trade reliable.

'A large amount of money has been collected to address the consumer's complaints of power outages from time to time and to implement the improvement and strengthening of the infrastructure structures that have been planned from previous years for sufficient, reliable, quality and safe power supply, now the plans will be implemented immediately. Executive Director Ghising said.

Director of ADB Nepal Residential Mission, Arnaud Kushwa, mentioned that the assistance will help to overcome the limitations of the grid infrastructure in the electricity supply according to the growing demand in the country and to meet the goal of green energy export. "The aid will be spent on the main components of the transmission and distribution master plan, it will help to transmit the electricity produced from hydropower projects for domestic consumption and to increase the capacity of international electricity trade," Director Kushwa said, "expansion, improvement, upgrading of transmission and distribution infrastructure in Karnali and Lumbini provinces. And restoration will be done, which will help to reduce the electrification, energy poverty, and eliminate the socio-economic inequality between the provinces.' A 160 km long 400 KV double circuit transmission line will be constructed from the new Butwal Substation located in Sunwal Municipality-13 of (Bardghat Susta West) to Lamhi in Dang through Rupandehi, Kapilvastu, Arghakhanchi. A 400 KV automatic substation based on Gas Insulated System (GIS) technology will be constructed in Lamhi. 203 million dollars will be spent for the construction of transmission lines and substations. Ghising, executive director of

authority, informed that since there is currently a 132 kV line for electricity from Butwal to the west, a 400 kV line and substation will be constructed to supply electricity to hydropower projects to be built in that area, to address the growing demand for electricity there, and to make trade with neighboring countries reliable.

A 400 KV substation will be constructed at Nijgarh in Bara under the Hetaunda-Dhalkebar-Inruwa 400 KV transmission line to supply sufficient, reliable and quality electricity to the industries operating, preparing for operation, opening in the future and demanding more electricity in the Bara-Parsa industrial corridor. A 400 KV substation will be constructed in Nijgarh with concessional loan from Exim Bank of India. Eight and a half million dollars received from ADB will be spent for the construction of a 400 KV line from Nijgadh to Parwanipur and a 400 KV substation in Parwanipur.